Atlanta airport TSA lines stretch for hours amid shutdown

Zoom in: According to a statement from Dickens, the agents would support TSA operations including "line management and crowd control within the domestic terminals."

• "Federal officials have indicated that this deployment is not intended to conduct immigration enforcement activities."

Catch up quick: TSA screening wait times at the world's busiest airport over the past weekend stretched hours amid the partial government shutdown.

• More than one-third of TSA officers at ATL called out sick this past week after working without pay for more than a month.

Context: On Sunday, airline agents instructed travelers flying out of the world's busiest airport to arrive a full four to five hours before their flight departed to allow enough time for TSA screening, the AJC reports.

• Only four of 18 TSA screening lanes were open, according to CNN, half the number that were operating the day before.

What they're saying: Dickens said the airport was providing food vouchers, MARTA passes and free parking to TSA officers during their shifts.

• "Our Administration remains hopeful the Federal Government can soon find a way to fully fund TSA and pay their employees to resume standard operations at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport — and all airports we connect to."